This invention pertains to a cover for a therapeutic support cushion. More particularly, this invention relates to a protective cover for use in enclosing an inflatable supporting cushion therein.
As is well known, persons afflicted by pain or aches in various parts of the body, such as back, neck, shoulders, spine, pelvis, ischium, etc., as well as by ailments including headaches, arthritis, bursitis, are subjected to a discomfort caused by such functional disorders which are usually transmitted through the nervous system. Very frequently, such persons seek relief by positioning the ailing part of their body on a support, such as a pillow, a rolled up towel and the like props readily available in the house. Furthermore, in an attempt to provide a support having improved characteristics, various types of specially designed pillows or cushions have been described in the patent literature. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 1,262,510 to Kelly discloses a pneumatic pillow having a ventilator within its casing. U.S. Pat. No. 2,521,780 to Dodd describes a pneumatic head rest or cushion especially useful to support the head and portions of the neck. U.S. Pat. No. 2,612,645 to Boland teaches an air cushion comprising an envelope having a plurality of upstanding partitions; U.S. Pat. No. 2,896,227 to Reed describes a contoured pillow having a cylindrical front core and a hexadral elongated rear core; U.S. Pat. No. 3,644,949 to Diamond discloses an air cushion containing several separately inflatable sections disposed one above the other; U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,705 to Greenawalt depicts a composite pillow made up of a sheet, the opposite ends of which are glued together and comprising an inflatable bag disposed within a large spherical end thereof; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,589 to Hellwig teaches an inflatable seat cushion having several communicating chambers separated by cross-pieces provided with openings for passage of air.
While the above-mentioned patents disclose the general concept of air-inflatable support pillows, the present invention provides a new approach to a structural form of a cover especially developed for use in conjunction with a therapeutic support cushion which offers certain advantages over the prior art devices.